We Burn Like Candles
by bunnyprincess49
Summary: On their mandatory vacation to Ember Island, four teenagers experience love, sensual yearning, friendship, competition, jealousy, and those awkward moments that always happen during the young summer days. Slight AU. For the TRF RomCom Challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is for the Tyzula Renaissance Forum RomCom challenge, for the prompt of an extended version of the vacation to Ember Island in S3 and is slightly AU to avoid regurgitating canon. This should be about 30k words, and will be exactly fourteen chapters for fourteen days. It's kind of a mockery of Teen-Summer-Beach-RomComs, and will have Mai and Zuko as main characters too because I think those four kids are hysterical together.**

* * *

 ** _WE BURN LIKE CANDLES_**

* * *

 ** _I_**

* * *

 _Azula: Truth_

The nature of lies is to please, while the truth has never given anyone comfort.

This was what Azula said when people she lied to regularly found out about one of them. It made her seem sympathetic in her opinion, since the person she lied to most was her father and he was one of those people who would be harder to not manipulate than to manipulate.

This morning, she stood on the edge of a ferry taking her and her friends and her awful brother to Ember Island. It was a mandatory vacation and she knew she had to accept such things if she wanted to be Fire Lord one day. Still, she knew she would not have much fun.

On the other hand, she would be able to see the most attractive girl in existence other than herself in a bikini. She also would display great patience to her father, and would express deep gratitude to him in order to win more of his favor.

Someone touched her back and she almost slapped the surprise across the face. But it was Ty Lee, wrapping her arms around Azula as the sea breeze whipped through their hair. The bare skin on Ty Lee's stomach brushed against the thin fabric on Azula's back. It gave her chills.

"I'm so excited to wear my summer island fashion. It was so not an option in the stupid colonies," says Ty Lee, kissing Azula on the cheek. "Now that you conquered Ba Sing Se maybe you can convert half of it into a luxury resort."

"Half of Ba Sing Se?" purred Azula, turning around to face Ty Lee.

"Half of the Earth Kingdom," Ty Lee replied, flashing a girlish grin.

Azula did not know what to say. "I think that would be excessive."

Ty Lee smiled and blushed and Azula did not know what to make of it.

So, the princess who refused to ever retreat fled. This was an extenuating circumstance.

She found Mai sitting by the bow, examining her nails. Mai and Azula both squinted in the bright, dazzling sunlight.

"Have a fun conversation with Ty Lee?" Mai asked, looking up and giving a swift, respectful bow of her head that was rather unnecessary.

"She is not fun to talk to. I find her quite vapid and shallow," said Azula, shrugging. She paused. "Then again, even the shallowest of pools can hide surprises."

"You're into her, huh?" Mai asked, sounding far, far too casual for speaking to the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation.

Azula shrugged and glanced at the cloudless sky. It was a brilliant, intoxicating blue. "I have more important things to think about."

Mai said, slightly more respectful now, "Can I ask what you think about Ty Lee?"

"Fine," said Azula, grandiosely pretending to relent. She _was_ honest when she explained, "If the world burned to ashes during Sozin's Comet and we were the only two people left, I would prefer it that way."

Mai laughed. Azula rolled her eyes and went to sit in the shade.

She may love the sun, but she did not want anyone else to try to talk to her.

* * *

 _Ty Lee: Temptation_

Only those who resist temptation know how strong it is. Yet, the duration matters. Those who last five minutes know far less than those who last their entire young life.

Ty Lee never liked to do hard things, unless she had no choice. And there was no alternative to resisting this one temptation above all else.

After they disembarked the ferry, Ty Lee removed her shoes so she could feel the sand between her toes. She rubbed her feet over the warmth of the grains and smiled. She put them back on and the gang of teenagers met their supervisors.

Ty Lee unpacked in a room she hoped she would share with Azula. Then again, Lo and Li only had one bed in that guest room (hence, why Azula and Ty Lee would have it; the room with _two_ beds had to belong to the boy and girl with surging hormones). She knew it would be… difficult to avoid.

Azula walked in and tossed her bag onto the sole bed. She looked at it for a long flicker of a second and Ty Lee wondered why. Her heart fluttered as she thought about the possibilities.

"Unpack my things. Do it well," coldly ordered Azula, and, of course, Ty Lee grinned and nodded. She did whatever the princess said, like everyone, but she did it out of love, unlike everyone.

"Yes, princess," Ty Lee said, instantly getting to work.

Azula strode out.

Ty Lee finished obeying the orders and then walked to check on Mai and Zuko. They were not inside, so Ty Lee picked up one of Mai's knives and began to twist it in her fingers.

Mai entered the room and made Ty Lee jump by saying coolly, "That is not a toy."

Ty Lee giggled and retorted, "Anything is a toy if you play with it!"

"You just can't resist temptation, can you?"

"I resist more temptation than you even know!"

"You mean not banging Azula?"

"Not even _kissing_ her. It's so hard. I bet her lips are so soft and I bet they taste amazing."

"Ick. Just give me my knife," Mai demanded, extending her hand. Ty Lee pouted as she handed over her fun find. "We're going to the beach, if you want to come."

"I do!" Ty Lee chirped.

She hastily slid into the bikini she picked because she _knew_ Azula would love it, and went out to watch the sunset. Ty Lee studied the boys who suddenly became more intense at their game of volleyball. One of them flexed his muscles. The other, bolder one, waved at Ty Lee.

When she smiled at them all, Azula sat down beside her.

Ty Lee turned and grinned. "You look lovely. Really lovely."

"I assume you think that about your new friends as well," Azula snapped, and Ty Lee could not help but be confused by her anger.

"But I look at you differently, if you, if you, if you know I love you because you're perfect, and never mind." Ty Lee blushed and averted her eyes.

"You look at other people with _love_ , the exact same way," snarls Azula.

"I—I love everything," stammers Ty Lee, trying to smile. "I love animals and trees and beautiful buildings and sandy beaches. I don't have sex with them."

Azula tried to look serious but ended up bursting into laughter. Ty Lee felt too embarrassed to join in, and just played with the sand she clutched between her fingers.

"It isn't like I care," Azula purred, smirking. She revealed the only played with Ty Lee's emotions and that killed the acrobat.

But Ty Lee just smiled blithely and started building a sandcastle under the cold moonlight.

* * *

 _Zuko: Touch_

One touch from her felt like more than an entire orgy would for most people. It created thatm any sensations in Prince Zuko's body. Mai had him wrapped up in an unbreakable spell.

It was nighttime and he was on the beach with Mai, Azula and Ty Lee. They were going to play a game in the dark water and Ty Lee already had her wet arm wrapped around Azula. He had no clue what was going on there, but he thought he might be able to smell the stench of hormones.

Maybe they were just for him and Mai, though, since he was trying to drag her to the ocean and she was resisting. The feeling of her hand in his was magnificent.

"We have to have a waterbending fight," Ty Lee chimed, bouncing from foot to foot. Azula kept her grounded.

"You are ref, ZuZu," Azula demanded, and he glanced at Mai and Ty Lee. Of course they would support _her_ instead of _him_ in this situation.

"I'm _ref_?" snapped Zuko.

"Be ref," stated Mai and he suddenly nodded. Azula scowled at the absurdity.

"I—well," he said, trying to wink at the lady but only succeeding at awkwardly blinking, "I'm well-suited to be a ref. My father has trained me for that for my entire life. I'm very used to people who are loud and wrong yelling at me."

Azula chimed mockingly, "I should have you executed."

"I'd like to see you try," Zuko growled, narrowing his eyes into a glare.

Azula sighed. "I don't have the energy for that."

They played late into the night, until their chaperones ordered they come home. Zuko sat on the deck with Mai, gazing out at the expanse of private beach.

"I hate sand," Mai murmured, scraping pounds of it off of her skin. Zuko rubbed her smooth arm where she had removed the sharp grains.

"I do too," Zuko said, laughing faintly. She rolled her amber eyes for reasons unknown to him. "And you make me happy. I'm honestly only happy when I'm with you at this point. If we ever… y'know, broke up, I think I'd never be happy again."

Mai glowered at him and removed her touch. He had no clue why; he thought he was being incredibly romantic.

"Let me tell you something," said Mai. "You are responsible for your own happiness."

Zuko exclaimed, "I'm responsible for my own happiness? I can't even be responsible for my own breakfast!"

Mai scoffed and slowly shook her head.

Zuko fumed from humiliation.

* * *

 _Mai: Tired_

In Mai's opinion and experience, vacations were nothing more than overpriced disappointment where no one ever had any fun. She knew that to be true as, in the dead of the night, she walked away from the deck and entered Lo and Li's horrible house. It smelled awful, like old ladies, and she was getting sick of Zuko clinging to her.

He was hot. She liked him and she hardly liked anything in the world. But he was already getting on her nerves and they had only been here for all of five minutes.

"Are we, uh, sharing or, I can sleep in here in this bed, or I can sleep on the couch, or the floor, or a mat or whatever you want," said Zuko, again somehow crumbling at the sight of a girl who was interested in him.

"You can sleep in here. I really don't care. It's not that important to me," Mai said in earnest. She fished her nightclothes out of her bag and glanced at Zuko. "Turn around."

"Why isn't it that important to you?" Zuko demanded, now angry, of course, which Mai could have predicted.

"Turn around, and we can talk about this all you want. I'm so uncomfortable in this horrible outfit Ty Lee bought me," Mai stated and Zuko sharply nodded. He respected her wishes and turned his back to the girl.

Mai blushed against her will when she saw him take a quick peek over his shoulder. Admittedly, he made her stomach twist into knots. He made her feel _good_ , and that made being tired of him incredibly difficult.

"I'm sleepy. Let's talk in the morning," Mai said, which meant _we'll talk about this never_ , but he probably would not translate properly. She flopped down on her bed.

"If you want to sleep, you can. I want you to be happy. I'd do anything to make you happy and everything," Zuko said, sounding even more hoarse than usual.

"Beautiful," sarcastically says Mai. "If I knew how, I'd cry. Now let's go to sleep. You can share my bed if that shuts you up."

"I'm not just interested in you for physical stuff," Zuko nervously said, but he did shimmy into the bed beside her. She slipped under the blankets and felt the warmth of his skin from inches away.

"What _are_ you interested in me for?" Mai asked, sounding more seductive than she expected.

"Everything you have to offer," Zuko said, gently stroking her soft arm. "Which is a lot. Because we're both broken."

"I'm not broken. Tired and jaded is not broken. I'm very much whole and I have exactly zero neurotic complexes," Mai said. "And I'm not Ty Lee or some dumb girl who wants to put broken people back together."

"Is she into Azula?" Zuko asked, sounding truly quizzical.

"Is the sky blue?" Mai retorted and that shut him up. "Now let's go to sleep, and not discuss being _broken_ or anything else angsty and adolescent."

"I think we both see that we're attracted to each other because of that. Give us a chance to be broken together," pleaded Zuko.

Mai just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Then she kissed him and curled up against him to sleep.

He had ever been more confused.


	2. Chapter 2

**_II_**

* * *

 _Ty Lee: Obsession_

In her entire life of always looking fantastic, Ty Lee had never put more effort into an outfit. She spent forever trying to figure out how to look amazing enough to attract the attention of the one person who managed to both ignore her and make her feel special.

Ty Lee wanted Azula to fall in love with her this summer. She just wished she knew how she was supposed to make that happen.

When she finally finished selecting the proper swimsuit and lovely, just skimpy enough cover up, she walked out onto the patio. Beneath her bare feet, she stepped on the loose sand that thinly coated the stone. The sun could not be brighter; she squinted.

"Azula!" chirped Ty Lee when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Close," replied her best friend. Or second best friend. She liked Azula better than Mai but that was only because she wanted to date and probably marry Azula, so perhaps that made Mai more of a friend to her but less important. "Were you waiting for her?"

"Sort of," Ty Lee replied, her cheeks flushing hot and pink.

"You are so sad," Mai commented as she leaned over the railing. She frowned at the sky and turned around. Sighing, she explained, "I hate the sun."

"I love it." Ty Lee closed her eyes dreamily before she could stop herself.

"Again, you are so depressing. Just tell her you're interested."

"That's the worst idea anybody in history has ever had!" Ty Lee shouted and Mai almost cringed. She managed to stop herself thanks to years of practice.

"Yeah. She probably wouldn't respond well, but it would be way less painful for me if you just told her," Mai said, sighing.

"Did you know her birthday is in three days?"

"I've known her longer than you have."

Ty Lee pouted cutely. "Doesn't answer my question."

Mai sighed. "Yes, of course I know that."

"And I will give her my heart as a present." Ty Lee beamed at that happy thought.

"She will crush it in her bare hands," Mai said with another sigh.

"Maybe not," Ty Lee said, which was certainly proof of her unwavering optimism.

"Can I just say that your intention to sleep with the Fire Lord's daughter doesn't do any wonders for your dumb girl image?"

"You can just say that, but it won't change my mind about her. I want her and I love her and she will have me by the end of this trip."

"I don't care enough to try to stop you."

Ty Lee grinned at that and sat down, waiting for her love to arrive.

* * *

 _Azula: Jealousy_

Once the teens finished readying themselves for the day and Lo and Li ushered them out of the house, they stood on the front path and contemplated where to go and what to do this morning.

"Why do I have trouble thinking about this?" snapped Zuko in response to imagined dirty looks. "Because we shouldn't be on an indulgent vacation; we should be winning a war. We are important soldiers who have a lot to prove."

"Not for these two weeks," Azula purred, and he quite visibly clenched his fists. "We are merely immoral adolescents."

"Isn't the right word _amoral_?" Zuko said, sounding as superior as could be.

Azula rolled her eyes at him. "Amoral is if you have no sense of right or wrong. Immoral is when you know you are truly wicked but you do nothing about it."

Zuko just grunted.

Ty Lee took her opportunity to brightly suggest, "We could go shopping at that cute little beachside market. It's so cute!"

Azula was the one to announce, "Yes. We can do that," and no one bothered to argue. Fighting with her was not worth it; even Zuko had to admit that from time to time.

They walked together, no one talking but the chattering Ty Lee, to the stretch of stone by the beach scattered with merchant carts. Azula and Ty Lee went one way while Mai and Zuko went another, and the princess toyed with the coins she had, and Ty Lee's eyes widened at every silly little item for sale. The vendors loved her but Azula always pulled Ty Lee away before she could make a foolish and impulsive purchase

"Oooo, princess, look," Ty Lee said, skittering over to a jewelry stand. The shopkeeper eagerly eyed the girls.

Azula confidently strode over and started poking at the merchandise. She set her coin purse on the table to prove she was not to be trifled with. And mostly to tease the old woman.

But, perhaps she was not only playing with people, because she had the brilliant idea to bind Ty Lee even tighter to her by buying her jewelry.

Azula held up a dyed pink piece. "Would you like this hideous seashell necklace? It would match your classless wardrobe."

Ty Lee's eyelashes fluttered as she gushed in total earnest, "Oh, Azula, you're the sweetest person in the world."

"I know it," Azula replied and she watched Ty Lee sway on her feet, her strong stance compromised by something as simple as confidence. Azula knew she had earned such conceit and so it only made sense that people would love it. "We will take this trashy necklace."

The vendor bowed her head and handed it over. Azula tossed the woman a coin and watched her scramble for it before grabbing her purse and walking off with Ty Lee.

The acrobat froze in place. "Azula, will you please help me put this on my neck? It needs two people to put on."

"Or one smart person," Azula purred, smirking at her own hilarious joke.

Despite her mockery, she did help Ty Lee, however, taking the seashell necklace from Ty Lee's hand and draping it over her chest. When Azula moved the clasp and touched it to the back of Ty Lee's neck, her knuckles brushed against Ty Lee's smooth skin and she felt a strange surge of sensation she could not explain.

Ty Lee hugged Azula and the princess hoped no one noticed her blush.

An hour later, after the shopping trip ended, Azula sat on the beach and glowered at the boys fawning over Ty Lee. She fantasized about killing every last one of them. Mai lay at her side, Zuko off getting her ice cream.

"She is so trashy," Azula said. "Look at her consorting with all those boys as if she has no shame. How pathetic and sad."

Mai decided to speak up and say, "If I may speak freely, princess, if you love her but won't claim her, you have to respect her enough to share her."

Azula scoffed and rolled her eyes at Mai's stupidity. She explained prettily, "Love does not share itself. Love is suspicious, love is controlling, love is fearful, love is greedy. There is no great love without great jealousy."

Mai began to ask, "Will you act on i—"

"TY LEE!" Azula screamed, capturing the attention of the cute girl. "Come paint my nails!" She turned to Mai. "Yes. I _will_ act on it because I am a woman of action and confidence."

Mai waited for Azula to look away before she rolled her eyes and gagged.

Ty Lee ran over and picked up the nail polish from her bag. She took Azula's hand in hers and got right to work, smiling the whole time and trying desperately to catch the princess's attention. She wished she could succeed but Azula was intentionally ignoring her.

Mai watched in disgust, but showed no emotion on her face.

Azula smirked while Ty Lee vied desperately for her attention even more pathetically than the boys vied for hers.

* * *

 _Zuko: Greediness_

That night, they went to the boardwalk to see the brilliant burning lights and the rigged games. Street performers played beautiful music that somehow was in sync, as if they had one mind and one set of talented fingers.

Zuko hated all of it. His girlfriend agreed.

"Look, darts," said Mai, pointing at one of the stands. "Let's go make the person running the booth cry. That might make this trip slightly less terrible."

Zuko nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist. She sighed, but let him do it.

"I'm going to go first, okay?" Zuko eagerly said, rushing towards the stand.

Mai said dryly but with a small hint of enthusiasm, "We hustle them. Not a bad idea."

Zuko did not quite get that statement, and he said assuredly, "If I don't win you one of these stuffed animals I promise to burn them all so no one else can have any either."

"Not what I meant, but go for it." Mai sat down on the counter of the booth while Zuko purchased a set of three darts.

Zuko got to work.

It was quickly apparent that he would probably have to burn down the stall to potentially make Mai happy, but she stepped in front of him and demanded three darts. Despite the rigged game, she landed all of them on the bullseyes and the man running the game scowled as he gave her a stuffed tiger-monkey. Mai handed it to Zuko.

"For you," she said and he glared at the moon. It seemed to entertain Mai which only made him angrier.

Azula and Ty Lee showed up, Ty Lee holding two stuffed animals and Azula looking as smug as she usually did.

"Oh, did your girlfriend get you a gift?" Azula asked, smirking at him. "How sweet of her."

"Why do we have to be near each other?" Zuko demanded, forcing the stuffed tiger-monkey into Mai's arms. She dropped it into the ocean. Good riddance.

"Because you're my brother and I love you."

"Oh, please. You'd rather have that guy inhaling cotton candy for a brother."

Azula shook her head. Ty Lee smiled, and Zuko wondered how she could be foolish enough to get her hopes up.

"I'm glad you're my brother," purred Azula, and Zuko rolled his eyes, waiting for the punchline.

"No, you're not," he huffily said when she was silent, clearly awaiting an answer.

"Yes, I am," Azula insisted, patting his arm. He shoved her away. She briefly lost her footing but regained it again because _of course_.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Why?"

Azula said smoothly, "Because some younger siblings feel trapped in the shadow of their elder sibling, or as if they must live up to impossibly high standards. Or standards at all."

Zuko's nostrils flared. "Shut up," he said as Mai and Ty Lee laughed.

"Come on, Ty Lee. I have more things to win for you," Azula said, shooting another glance at Zuko, as if highlighting an imagined inadequacy.

They walked off again.

Zuko turned and shot Mai and accusatory glance. "Why do you laugh when she says awful things?"

Mai shrugged and explained flatly, "Because she's funny when she's cruel."

"I can be funny when I'm cruel," Zuko whined, clenching his fists and glowering.

Mai shook her head, unafraid. "I've seen you be funny, I've seen you be cruel, I've never seen you be funny and cruel at the same time."

Zuko huffed and went to get fire gummies.

Mai followed him, but he still was angry.

* * *

 _Mai: Apathy_

"I hate vacations," Zuko growled as Mai walked into the bedroom.

He was playing with her knives, but she did not mind. Even if she was hard to please, she loved her boyfriend, and she only loved about five things tops.

"Me too," said Mai, closing the door and starting to undress. Zuko was so focused on the darts that he did not even sneak a glance. That game obvious set off about ten complexes of his. "What are you doing?"

Zuko grumbled, still not looking up from his work, "Practicing."

Mai sighed and sat down beside him, half-undressed, still unnoticed because her boyfriend was insane, angry and considered himself inadequate because he had a terrible abusive childhood. "Isn't it about time you gave up all hope of improving yourself? I have and it's a really satisfying life choice."

"Maybe." Zuko set down the darts and kicked one of them.

Mai kissed him and they fell back on the bed.


End file.
